By Dr. Javier Chavez
Sept. 26, 2024
Let me begin by stating that I am a U.S. citizen by choice. Even though I was born in Peru, America gave me many life opportunities; and for that I will always be grateful. Also, it was here where I met my wife and where our children were born. So, making the decision to acquire American citizenship became my way of expressing my commitment to the nation that opened her arms to embrace me.
I must also say that before moving to Georgia in 2014, I lived in Tennessee during my college years, then Chicago for graduate school, then South America for almost 14 years as a missionary, and eventually California for doctoral education. However, it was in this last place where my wife and I realized that we needed a safer environment for our children. This was due to the polluted social factors that had infected the public education system, the dynamics of community living, and the politics of the state.
So, when Noelia and I prayed seeking the Lord’s direction, Georgia became His graceful response. We bought a house in northeast Georgia in a rural town called Lula. For sure, many friends questioned our decision. “Why is a Hispanic family moving to a predominantly white community? Are you for real?” many asked ironically. But we knew it was time to unteach our children what they had heard in the West Coast:
That a person is categorized by the color of their skin,
That minorities need to resist unequal social structures,
That police authority must be questioned and confronted,
That it is the obligation of the government to supply anything you need even if you decide not to work,
That no one can tell you what to do with your body, so being pro-choice is exercising your rights and the state is there to pay for your “choice,”
That church is not really needed in a liberal society,
Among so many other confused ideas.
As result, our family took the courageous decision to support conservative principles with the power of our votes in 2016 and 2020 during both presidential elections, and we expect to do the same in 2024. Nonetheless, I must be honest to say that we could lose our state and eventually our nation if we do not make a commitment to speak up, show up, and exercise our citizen responsibility this year. If Georgia is on our mind, as the beautiful melody sang by Ray Charles portrays, then we are called to communicate what is at stake, conserve the integrity of our family values, and cast our vote decisively with no regrets.
Communicate what is at stake.
There is no better way to convey a message than seeking to become more relational. I know that four years ago COVID and its “apocalyptic prophets” sought to create an uncertain environment in which people became less relational and more impersonal in their social interactions. “Keep proper social distance,” “do not get together with friends and family,” “do not shake hands,” “use your masks,” among other warnings were phrases clothed with “scientific data” but emptied of human reciprocity. It is as though some people were more interested in keeping us apart. Nevertheless, access to other forms of communication in 2024 are now plentiful and we ought to use them to share with family, friends, community, and church circles what is really at stake. We do not want a liberal government in which the state dictates our lives. We do not want a government in which only a certain group of lives matter. We do not want a government in which social chaos rules and the media calls it “peaceful protests.” We do not want a government that tells churches when, how, or even worse—who knows—eventually may want to tell us who to worship. That is what is at stake my friends! So, no matter the effort, let’s use our relational abilities to communicate what is really at stake. Do it personally or virtually, but let’s connect with people and voice our concerns.
Conserve the integrity of our family values.
Just as Noelia and I chose to move our children to South America to work among very poor communities planting churches and feeding centers, or just as we decided to move from Los Angeles to Lula looking for a safer community, the decision of raising our children rests upon us–the parents. It is God who has entrusted to us the responsibility to teach them to love God, to love their neighbors, and to love themselves. Our families then build their value and moral system not on the opinion of the government, the news of the media, or the talk of our friends, but rather on the inalterable principles of the Word of God. Only the Bible regulates our lifestyles. So, within our families let’s maintain the commitment to keep teaching our kids that abortion is a grievous offense before the eyes of the God of life, that a matrimony is the vehicle through which God blesses the union of a man and a woman, that all men are equal no matter the color of their skin and should be treated with dignity, and that blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Neither the government nor the educational system should mess with the education and formation of our children. The education of our children is a non-negotiable! In this election, we are voting our principles, we are voting our faith, but also, we are voting with our families on our minds.
Cast our votes with no regrets.
Teddy Roosevelt used to say that “a vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends upon the character of the user.” It is character that defines an individual at the moment of electing their authorities. As Christians, we have a responsibility to vote based on faith principles, not on our ethnicity or on our political likes. I believe that casting a vote is making a principled statement of who we are and where we stand. We can no longer remain neutral hiding behind the bushes of political expediency or personal interest. Our vote must be our clearest affirmation of “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”–an affirmation of an America in which our children are safe from the devastating effects of critical race theory and the so called “social justice movement,” an affirmation against pro-choice and Planned Parenthood programs, an affirmation against same-sex marriage, gambling, the legalization of drugs, and of human trafficking. But also, our participation must be an affirmation that just as casting our votes is essential for a solid democracy, counting them properly is also part of that democracy we hold dear.
Recent polls have shown that Latinos who have experienced the failure of communist and socialist regimes in their countries of origins and Hispanics who have moved to the US south fleeing from other liberal states are moving their votes to the conservative side. Why is that? It is because nothing teaches better than a lived experience and nothing defines an individual better than the content of a character influenced by his faith. Please remember, we do not vote based on the color of our skin but on the principles of our Christian faith.
This is an election year, so let’s get ready to make our voices heard, and fight with the power of our votes. Christ is King. He is in control.
Dr. Javier Chavez (B.A., M.A., Ph.D.) is the Senior Pastor of Amistad Cristiana International in Gainesville Georgia, Visiting Professor of Global Studies at Truett-McConnel University, and much-respected internationalist. He also serves as a fellow with the Danbury Institute.
The Danbury Institute is an issues-based, non-partisan association of churches focused on educating and mobilizing around cultural and public policy issues from a Judeo-Christian perspective. The Danbury Institute does not endorse any candidate for public office nor participate in political campaign activities. Contributions to The Danbury Institute are not used for political campaigning and are conducted in accordance with IRS regulations for nonprofit organizations.
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